Over the years I’ve been asked many times what single quality sets one maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) facility apart from another. The answer is always the same — the people.
The people come in all shapes and sizes, ethnic backgrounds, technical, and professional skills with titles ranging from facilities custodian to president and CEO. However, the one common denominator is each individual is a critical part of the fabric that makes up an organization and is equally responsible for its success or failure.
I have been challenged on a few occasions with the admonishment that surely the janitor is not as important as the president. I then welcome the opportunity to opine that the janitor is more important than the president in many ways. How often do you interact with the president or CEO of an MRO during a maintenance visit. I will wager not very often. However, the average customer places a very high degree of importance on the cleanliness and overall appearance of the facility.
How many times have we heard customers say: “I do not want any dirt or oil tracked into my airplane” or one of my favorites: “If you cannot keep the hangar or lavatories clean how can I expect you to keep my multimillion dollar aircraft clean?” So you can see the answer upon closer analysis is the janitor who in many ways has a greater impact on the customer.
Now, I can hear the skeptics say this is a rather simplistic viewpoint, but let’s review a few more examples of just how important individuals’ efforts are to the overall success of any organization. Aviation has deep roots in military history and if one looks back to World War I through the conflicts of today you see aircraft maintenance activities conducted under less than ideal conditions. Gleaming, environmentally controlled hangars, an endless array of GSE, and reasonable schedules are not the norm. Yet, the work is accomplished in a safe and timely manner due to the dedication and “can do spirit” that does not allow failure to enter the equation.
This same spirit is found in a good MRO where all the team members understand the mission and will not tolerate failure on their watch. How often have we seen a work package increase unexpectedly due to corrosion, parts arriving at the last minute, or an unexpected component failure, yet the aircraft delivers on time? Divine intervention did not occur. Instead, the dedication and the commitment of the team carried the day.
I hope I have established my bias toward the value of individual and team effort as key ingredients that has one facility stand above the others. It is appropriate to say I formulated this viewpoint over many years of managing MRO facilities and have seen both the good and bad side of the equation.
Cooperation and trust
The issue at hand is how do we (labor and management) create the environment where mutual respect, trust, common goals, and an overall spirit of cooperation are the order of the day. A positive work environment coupled with the unwavering belief by every member of the organization that the customers we serve are our future and the future of those that depend upon us must be a core value.
Customers do not come for the beautiful hangars, they come for the skilled work force and an atmosphere in which the customer and service provider are in perfect harmony. If we look around the country there are a number of excellent MROs that field an exceptional work force and although not located at large airports or urban centers have thrived because customers will travel (go out of their way) to obtain exceptional service. I would also submit that customers, even in today’s economic climate, are willing to pay a modest premium to enjoy this type of environment.
How do we create this positive personnel oriented work environment? Frankly, it is not easy and like the cultivation of a good garden it takes constant effort.
Management support
Let’s start with management, who by its very nature, has the ability to affect change and create an environment conducive to good interpersonal relations. I have to refer back to my previous statement that everyone is critically important to the success of the organization. The words they or them should go out the window! The operative word is we or better described in the old cliché, “there is no I in the word team.”
Management has the responsibility to lead by example and like it or not is judged every day by two very important groups, the customers and the employees. Make no mistake, the two groups are equally important.
Management’s role is very clear, to support the personnel doing the work. Let me put it in this perspective, all management is an overhead expense, it does not create one penny of revenue. Strictly speaking, any company would be far better off financially without management’s presence. Obviously this is not practical; however, it is a prime example that “they” must be constantly engaged in the support of the labor force that is creating the revenue, i.e. the technicians on the shop floor.
Support comes in many forms, from making sure the utility bills are paid to aiding an employee with a personal emergency. So management has plenty to do and if it does it right the employees being managed will truly believe management is working on their behalf and looking out for them. This engenders a spirit of loyalty which is the bond that makes an organization successful.
Loyalty retains existing employees and customers and attracts new employees and customers that share the same values.
Employees and customers often ask, “what is your management style?” My response: Management by walking around. Some of the old hands will recognize the style but please allow me to explain for the next generation. Simply stated, this management style means being engaged with your peers, individuals who report to you and of course the customers. I will confine my comments here to the employees.
There is nothing more comforting to an employee than having the boss’s head pop into the aft equipment bay on a 100 plus degree Texas day and ask if you are doing OK. Why?
Because it sends a powerful message you care and when people know you really care they respond in kind. Remember that word loyalty. This is where management makes the word a reality by actions vs. faceless memos tacked on the official company required reading board.
To those managers who say they don’t have time, I suggest they find another line of work. There is always time to recognize and appreciate the contributions of the very people who make the organization function. In today’s impersonal environment try addressing a person by name and thank them for the service they provide. The shocked look on their face makes my point.
On the front lines
Now, as for non-management employees, they have an equal or greater responsibility to care for their peers, management, and of course the customer. They are literally on the front lines and most often are under close scrutiny of the customer anxiously awaiting the delivery of his or her aircraft. It is fair to say that as far as the customer is concerned they are the company because in the final analysis their technical ability and professionalism will often determine if the project was accomplished successfully, if the company made a profit, and most importantly affect the customer’s decision to return for the next maintenance event.
Remember that part where I said everyone is equally important? Personally I cannot recount in my career a time when employees have ever failed an organization or customer if management was doing its job and following the precepts I have outlined. They are the most valuable asset of any company.
Many years ago I was hired by a man named Richard Emery, who at the time was president of KC Aviation Inc. He made a simple statement to me which I never forgot: “Take care of the employees and customers, they are equally important and if you do that success will follow.” I have been adhering to those principles for almost 30 years. It was good advice then and it is just as good today.
John Rahilly has more than 36 years of aviation service experience which is a combination of formal education, military service, and numerous leadership positions in the corporate and private jet marketplace. Rahilly understands the nuances of both the maintenance and aesthetic aspects of the business jet service industry. Based in North Carolina, he can be reached at [email protected].
